Manila and Tokyo finalized their largest maritime security project to date, which will see Japan fund the construction of five large patrol ships for the Philippine Coast Guard.
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Enzo Kazuya exchanged notes on the third phase of the Maritime Safety Capacity Improvement Project (MSCIP) during a ceremony today in Manila. Approved by the Philippine government last fall, the project aims to bolster the Philippine Coast Guard’s ability to “respond to threats and incidents within the country’s maritime jurisdiction” with a focus on securing “important sea lines of communication in the West Philippine Sea, Sulu-Celebes Seas, and the Philippine Sea” according to a National Economic and Development Authority release.
Funded by an Official Development Aid loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency, the $507 million deal is the largest to date by Tokyo to the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement agency. Of the $507 million budget, around $425 million will be dedicated to constructing five 97-meter-long multi-mission response vessels (MRRV) and a five-year integrated logistics support package.
The Philippine Coast Guard expects the five patrol ships to arrive between 2027 and 2028. Another signing ceremony for the contract of the vessels will take place at a future date.
These vessels will join the two already transferred by Japan to the Philippine Coast Guard, BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701 and BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702), which were provided under the second phase of MSCIP. The ships were ordered in 2020, constructed at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s Shimonoseki Shipyard, and delivered in 2022. Derived from the Japan Coast Guard’s Kunigami-class, the Teresa Magbanua-class weighs slightly more at 2,260 GT and sports a hangar to support a single helicopter.
Described as “capital ships” in a Philippine Coast Guard release, the patrol vessels are among the most modern and largest in its fleet. Teresa Magbanua itself holds the title of the agency’s flagship. The two MRRVs have also been deployed to patrol the country’s waters and train with partner nations. Last year, Melchora Aquino participated in the first-ever U.S.-Philippine-Japanese trilateral coast guard exercise.
Ambassador Endo visited Philippine Coast Guard Headquarters in Manila to tour Melchora Aquino and pledge Japan’s support for further capacity development for the beleaguered maritime law enforcement agency on Wednesday. Most active Philippine Coast Guard vessels, especially in the South China Sea, are of Japanese origin under the MSCIP. Since 2013, Tokyo has provided loans for 12 patrol ships and other support initiatives, such as training and logistical assistance.
According to Manila-based Geopolitical Analyst Don McLain Gill, this maritime security investment by Tokyo into the Philippines mirrors the 2023 National Security Strategy.
“The willingness of Tokyo to play a larger role in the Philippines’ security capabilities is a reflection of Japan’s latest National Security Strategy. The NSS seeks to illustrate Japan as a key security provider in the Indo-Pacific. Moreover, this more emphasized security-driven turn also reflects Tokyo’s realization of the need to do more to ensure the stability of the region amidst growing revisionist and expansionist forces, particularly China and North Korea.”
Similarly, Joshua Bernard Espeña, vice president at the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, attributed Japan’s support to its realization of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, which many countries such as the Philippines embraced.
